Balance bikes are a wonderful thing. What better way to get little Johnny out riding than starting him on a bike that is as simple as it looks. Balance bikes are fairly self-explanatory, with the biggest benefit being an easy way to teach the youngsters how to balance and steer before introducing pedals. However, the benefits don't end there.

Balance bikes are essentially designed for children between the age of two and five and have proven to be a popular replacement for the more traditional 12 inch kids bike.

So why are balance bikes such a popular choice?

A breakdown of the benefits:

- It's simple - compared to a traditional kids bike, balance bikes allow children to focus on conquering one skill at a time. Letting the little ones focus on learning to balance and steer without overwhelming them with the concept of pedals at the same time.

- Skip the training wheels – balance bikes are a great replacement for training wheels. This means those balance bike riders are able to progress straight onto a regular kids bike without the need for training wheels. It seems a lot more logical to nail the whole balancing act and then adjust to pedals rather than vice versa.

- Forget the assistance from parents – these commonly named ‘glider’ or ‘strider’ bikes allows parents to take a step back and let their kids teach themselves.

- Ditch the footrest – the simplicity of the bike allows kids to not think too hard about what to do and rather just do what feels natural, which is jump on and start walking and gliding with the bike. This just so happens to be what they were designed to do, funny that!

- Room for growth – depending on the age they start, you will notice kids can get a good two or three years out of a balance bike. This is all thanks to an adjustable seat height. Therefore, if kids are starting at the lower limit seat height on a balance bike, parents will be pleased to know they will provide a decent amount of growth.